The 10 Best Horror Movie Final Boys of All Time, Ranked (2024)

While villains and monsters are often the stars of the show when it comes to the horror genre, everyone still loves a good hero now and again. It's also no surprise that "final girls" are usually the most common protagonists of these stories, as the genre is filled with these stellar heroines. But, make no mistake; guys can lead a horror movie, too.

While "final girls" are more common, "final boys," often called "scream kings," have appeared in many spectacular and successful horror movies throughout the years. These leading men dominated the screen, wowing audiences with their stellar charms, cunning intellect, and incredible abilities when faced against horrifying odds. They took charge of their stories and even became the best characters. Here are the ten most iconic "final boys" in horror history.

10 Brent Mitchell (Xavier Samuel)

'The Loved Ones' (2009)

Australian high schooler Brent Mitchell (Xavier Samuel) was an average teen struggling to move on with his life following the tragic car accident that killed his father six months ago. When he kindly turns down a sweet girl, Lola Stone's (Robin McLeavy), offer to go to the prom with him, Lola doesn't take this rejection well and, along with her deranged father (John Brumpton), kidnaps Brent for an excruciating night of torment.

Brent experienced countless horrors during his terrible night with his captors. Bound, drugged, and relentlessly tortured, he struggled at every moment to keep his strength and wits about him to stay alive. However, with his strong determination, he eventually broke free from his restraints, taking his revenge on Lola and her father and stopping them from harming him or anyone else ever again. Brent had a strong will to survive and used his bravery to come out on top. He never gave up, even when others in his situation had failed.

The Loved Ones

R

Crime

Drama

Horror

Thriller

When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.

Release Date

November 4, 2010

Director

Sean Byrne

Cast

Xavier Samuel , Robin McLeavy , Victoria Thaine , Jessica McNamee , Richard Wilson , John Brumpton

Runtime

84 minutes

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9 Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton)

'A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge' (1985)

Five years after Nancy Thompson's (Heather Langenkamp) nightmarish encounter with the dream slasher Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a new family, The Walshs, begins living in her old home. Soon, the family's eldest child, Jesse (Mark Patton), starts encountering Freddy and soon battles to control his soul as Freddy uses his body to slip in and out of the dream world.

Though he was in a near-hopeless situation against Freddy and his formidable powers, Jesse was determined not to let his adversary win. Though Freddy came close to taking over Jesse's body completely, with the help of his crush, Lisa (Kim Myers), the two effectively rid Freddy of the real world, finally freeing Jesse's soul. While the film's silly, ambiguous ending never thoroughly explains Jesse's fate, he manages to stand up against Freddy, which is never easy. Mark Patton does phenomenal work in his cult classic performance. He's even amusingly stated that he's the first-ever "male scream queen."

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

R

Horror

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Release Date

November 1, 1985

Director

Jack Sholder

Cast

Mark Patton , Kim Myers , Robert Rusler , Clu Gulager , Hope Lange , Marshall Bell

Runtime

87

8 Alex Browning (Devon Sawa)

'Final Destination' (2000)

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For superstitious high schooler Alex Browning (Devon Sawa), a trip to Paris with his fellow students seemed like the time of his life. But when he experiences a terrifying premonition of a mid-flight explosion, he hastily escapes the disaster along with six lucky few before the plane takes off. Soon, omens seem to follow him everywhere, leading Alex to believe that the Grim Reaper still isn't finished with him and his friends yet.

Alex was intelligent and resourceful, accurately predicting and overcoming many of Death's designs. He slowly pieced together the fact that Death was stalking him and his friends and strove to protect as many of them as he could. Though most of his efforts were futile in the end, his brave actions were instrumental in helping future survivors learn to overcome Death's traps. While it's unfortunate that audiences will never see how Alex's story could have continued, considering Devon Sawa's abrupt departure from the Final Destination series between films one and two, his legacy continues to live on as he remains the franchise's most fundamental character.

Final Destination

R

Horror

Mystery

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Not available

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Release Date

March 17, 2000

Director

James Wong

Cast

Devon Sawa , Ali Larter , Kerr Smith , Kristen Cloke , Daniel Roebuck , Roger Guenveur Smith

Runtime

98

7 Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent)

'The Child's Play Franchise' (1988-)

All six-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) wanted for his birthday was a new Good-Guy doll that was flooding the market. Unfortunately, when his loving mother Karen (Catherine Hicks) gives him his present, the two don't realize at first that the doll is possessed by voodoo-practicing serial killer Charles Lee Ray, a.k.a. Chucky (Brad Dourif), who intends to escape his plastic prison by taking over the body of a child. Soon, it's up to Andy to stop Chucky's evil scheme, even as no one believes him.

Despite his age and limited strength, Andy was smart and capable enough to outmaneuver and outwit Chucky at many turns. As grown-ups fell victim all around him, he kept his cool and performed heroic actions that ultimately saved lives. Over many installments and even the Chucky TV series, Andy Barclay has become Chucky's greatest nemesis, who continues to be a thorn in the doll's side and is determined never to let him ever win.

Child's Play

R

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

A struggling single mother unknowingly gifts her son a doll imbued with a serial killer's consciousness.
Director

Release Date

November 8, 1988

Director

Tom Holland

Cast

Catherine Hicks , Chris Sarandon , Alex Vincent , Brad Dourif , Dinah Manoff , Tommy Swerdlow

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6 Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman, John Shepherd, and Thom Mathews)

'The Friday the 13th Franchise' (1980-2009)

Young aspiring make-up effects artist Tommy Jarvis expected to have a fun, pleasant cabin-in-the-woods vacation with his family on Crystal Lake. Unfortunately, it became the scene of another bloody massacre by the unstoppable hockey-mask-wearing serial killer Jason Voorhees, whom Tommy outsmarts and finally kills with a machete strike. Traumatized by the horrible event, he soon devotes his life to stopping Jason whenever he inevitably returns from the grave.

Played by a young Corey Feldman in The Final Chapter, John Shepherd in A New Beginning, and most definitively by Thom Mathews in Jason Lives and its two fan-made sequels, Tommy Jarvis has become one of the most popular and reoccurring human characters in the Friday the 13th franchise. He's become a fan-favorite and integral to the series' legacy. Throughout three notable installments, audiences grow to love this brave horror hero as he faces off against one of cinema's most formidable slasher villains and survives his encounters every time.

Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter

R

Horror

Thriller

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Jason Voorhees returns to continue his killing spree, targeting a new group of teens and the Jarvis family. As the body count rises, young Tommy Jarvis discovers a way to potentially end Jason’s reign of terror once and for all in what is meant to be the series' final installment.

Release Date

April 13, 1984

Director

Joseph Zito

Cast

Kimberly Beck , Peter Barton , Crispin Glover , Corey Feldman , E. Erich Anderson , Barbara Howard , Ted White

Runtime

91 Minutes

5 Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya)

'Get Out' (2017)

Talented photographer Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) hoped to make an excellent first impression with his new girlfriend's family, the Armitages, at their wealthy home. However, as bizarre events unfold, he slowly suspects something is wrong with the family. Soon, he battles for control of his mind as he realizes the Armitages are secretly abducting young African American people to be used as human vessels for wealthy white clients.

Trapped, alone, and wholly outnumbered, Chris had to use his wits and cunning to overcome his frightening ordeal and take his revenge on the Armitages for their horrible crimes. Eventually, he proved victorious and escaped his situation despite many odds. Get Out has become a massive game-changer for horror cinema recently, and in many respects, it's thanks to Daniel Kaluuya's Oscar-nominated performance as Chris Washington. It's a standout portrayal that's become significant in the horror genre and will continue to be praised for years to come.

Get Out

R

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

Psychological

Where to Watch

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Release Date

February 24, 2017

Director

Jordan Peele

Cast

Daniel Kaluuya , Allison Williams , Catherine Keener , Bradley Whitford , Caleb Landry Jones , Marcus Henderson

Runtime

103 minutes

4 Dwight "Dewey" Riley (David Arquette)

'The Scream Franchise' (1996-)

The small town of Woodsboro, California, is rocked by a series of grizzly murders following the first anniversary of the death of resident Maureen Prescott (Lynn McRee). Now, as Maureen's daughter Sidney (Neve Campbell) becomes the killer's primary target, one of her best friends and local sheriff's deputy, Dwight "Dewey" Riley (David Arquette), makes it his mission to protect Sidney at all costs.

Throughout several deadly encounters and multiple killing sprees, Dewey was right by Sidney's side and her most trusted and loyal ally in her fight to stop the many Ghostface killers that were after them. Cheating death many times throughout the Scream franchise, Dewey sadly met his demise by a new killer in Scream V. Still, his death encourages the other heroes to continue and eventually thwart the villains' ultimate goals. Dewey was the heart of the Scream films, one of its most fan-favorite characters. Though it's sad to see the series progress without him, his popularity continues to live on.

Scream

R

Horror

Mystery

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A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.

Release Date

December 20, 1996

Director

Wes Craven

Cast

Drew Barrymore , Neve Campbell , Skeet Ulrich , Matthew Lillard , Jamie Kennedy , Rose McGowan

Runtime

111 minutes

3 Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss)

'Jaws' (1975)

A series of gruesome shark attacks plague the bustling beach community of Amity Island. As the body count rises and panic ensues, the newly instated sheriff, Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), enlists the help of marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to help him in their situation. Together with a salty sea captain, Sam Quint (Robert Shaw), they head out on the open waters to track down the elusive beast before it strikes again.

Along their journey, the three men play an intense cat-and-mouse game with the formidable shark. While Quint gets devoured, Brody and Hooper slay the beast, killing it with an explosive oxygen tank and ridding Amity Island of its terrible problem. The two men used their courage and wisdom to survive their frightening ordeal, especially Brody, who overcame his fear of the ocean and rose to defeat his enemy. Jaws was a massive hit at the box office and one of the most profitable horror films ever. It's thanks to Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss' incredible performances, and today, they're seen as two of the highest-grossing "scream kings" around.

Jaws

PG-13

Adventure

Horror

Thriller

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Release Date

June 20, 1975

Director

Steven Spielberg

Cast

Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton , Carl Gottlieb

Runtime

124 minutes

2 R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell)

'The Thing' (1982)

American helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) was expecting to go through long, tedious winter months along with his fellow inhabitants at his U.S. outpost in the Antarctic. But when a mysterious sled dog wanders into camp, it reveals itself to be a hostile alien parasite able to disguise itself as other life forms. As paranoia sets in, it's up to MacReady to figure out who's human before the creature can reach and infect civilization.

From a drunken recluse to de facto leader, MacReady was instrumental in stopping the alien from spreading. He was incredibly intelligent, coming up with creative and ingenious methods to weed out wherever the creature was hiding. When situations got rough, he was more than capable of handling himself and survived many dreadful attempts at his life. Whether audiences choose to believe he's human or whether he was successful in the end, his actions proved very effective in squandering the alien's plans. Undoubtedly, R. J. MacReady is one of the bravest protagonists in horror history.

The Thing (1982)

R

Horror

Mystery

Sci-Fi

Thriller

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A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter's 1982 film is a remake of 1951's The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.

Release Date

June 25, 1982

Director

John Carpenter

Cast

Kurt Russell , wilford brimley , T.K. Carter , David Clennon , Keith David , Richard Dysart

Runtime

109 mins

1 Ashley "Ash" J. Williams (Bruce Campbell)

'The Evil Dead Franchise' (1981-)

S-Mart employee Ashley "Ash" J. Williams (Bruce Campell) just wanted to have a good time with his girlfriend, sister, and friends in a secluded cabin in the woods. But when they come across a mysterious satanic book, "The Necronomicon," they accidentally awaken dark forces from its passages, unleashing terrifying demons to slowly possess the group one by one, leaving Ash the only survivor. Hardened by his traumatic experience, he becomes the "Chosen One" and humanity's only hope against the Necronomicon and its terrible powers.

Throughout Evil Dead's three installments and its spin-off series, audiences follow Ash as he grows from a frightened survivor to a wise-cracking, chainsaw, and shot-gun-wielding action hero, always ready with a witty remark or hilarious one-liner. He may be co*cky and naive at times and not always the wisest man in the room, but when facing the forces of evil, he'll kick butt and save a few souls in the process. Ash has become a staple of the horror genre and truly the most iconic final boy. He continues to be beloved by horror lovers, all thanks to the one and only Bruce Campbell, who made this hero one of a kind.

The Evil Dead (1981)

NC-17

Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

Release Date

April 15, 1983

Director

Sam Raimi

Cast

Bruce Campbell , Ellen Sandweiss , Richard DeManincor , Betsy Baker

Runtime

85 minutes

Main Genre

Horror

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